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So, after months of reading reviews and watching videos and reading forums... I have just decided to ask all of you for your opinion.. (I understand that it is all opinions and he said she said stuff) but I have narrowed my search to two companies for the time being...

Skyburner and Blue Moon Kites...

I am trying to decide on the "Ocius" Or "Deltadrive" from Skyburner

or...

The "Exile", "Mantis", or the "Mongoose" from BMK

I will probably end up buying two to get me started and am just having a heck of a time deciding... I don't have money to throw around so I'd like to make the most educated decision for the first "real" kites to throw in my bag.

Any and all comments are welcome.

ThanksShane

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"Once you have flown, you will walk with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you long to return." Leonardo Da Vinci

then there is the ul or std discussion too. Cuz you will want one of both I would say the Ocius over the delta drive and the exile over the mantis but I have not flown the mongoose to make a choice beyond that.just my 2 cents

Oh yeah... I forgot about that... ... I will probably just buy one in a STD and one in a UL... Or maybe one kite in both.. SO frustrating trying to make these kinds of decision... If only I had Thousands of dollars to spend on kites..

I know that there is probably not a bad decision when it comes to these companies.. I just want a kite that will grow with me and that I won't outgrow in the passing months... and I am totally aware that I will be buying more kites as time passes, I just want to make sure that the first couple kites are a good investment and will keep me flying..

-S

« Last Edit: September 09, 2010, 07:21 PM by Kite4Life »

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"Once you have flown, you will walk with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you long to return." Leonardo Da Vinci

If you throw in a Widow Maker, the quandry turns into a dilemnma. Any of the BMKs are excellent kites and that includes the new Mongoose std and the rumored(?) UL version. As for the Skyburners, my only experience is with the Widow Maker which is a excellent. As to a choice, it's really a coin toss, two-out of three or is it four out of five or six out of nine?

I would go for a Widowmaker over the Delta Drive from Skyburner if your looking for something able to do all the latest tricks. Now I like my Delta Drive, I've always liked that kite and it's unique graphics. Plus the narrower felled seams and details make it the kite with the most impressive workmanship in my bag. If you won't be disappointed if it doesn't do every trick in the book easily I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it. I've not flown an Ocius, but can tell you I'm looking forward to the chance or justifying buying one for myself. It looks like something I would click with on especially on those higher wind days when I enjoy a smaller, quick kite, since I don't own any vents and can't justify one with our normal winds. So I just grab a smaller kite as the wind picks up, the Freestylist or Wolf are my current go to kites to play with above 10 and up to 20 mph or so.

Any of your choices in the Blue Moon line-up are good choices, as always it's dependent on your skill level, wind conditions and flying style which one would suit you best. In the short time I flew it I felt the Mongoose handles higher winds better then the Exile, but lacks its lower wind capabilities. I also felt the Mongoose is more agile, definitely tighter turning, and possibly more precise then the Exile, good or bad is personal preference and your conditions. I have no experience with the Mantis but have 2 Muse's which are similar, a great kite too and somewhere in between the Exile and Mongoose in responsiveness, agility, and wind range. All are capable of more then I can do and not going to hold me back in the foreseeable future.

« Last Edit: September 12, 2010, 02:00 AM by mikenchico »

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"Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see" John W Lennon

"People do not quit playing because they grow old, they grow old because they quit playing" George Bernard Shaw

I just want to make sure that the first couple kites are a good investment and will keep me flying..

I flown a Fearless STD(4mm pultruded carbon US, 3pt LS, 5pt LE) from low wind to mid 20ish km for tricking. It is a good investment for me. I flown only one kite. If I can starting all over again, I will get the F kite as my second kite and save a lot of $$$. To me and a lot of fliers here, it is a very very excellent kite for tricking. It might cost more but eventually it pays off nicely since you flown(tricking) the kite a lot. It also have great resell value. Peoples here are lining up to buy one second hand. Another great choice will be the new Transformer from the same designer. I never flown one but a lot of Fearless owners here did. Based on their comments, this is a great trick kite too.

All of the kites you mention will do far more than you'll learn in the first year or two. No worries about out growing them.

A lot of the differences between most of them wouldn't be so obvious to a new flyer. The exception would be the Ocius. It's considerably smaller than the rest of the group. It would generally be faster and/or more responsive than a larger kite. This is not always a good thing at first, but the Ocius is more stable than many kites it's size and I'd still recommend it to a beginner looking for a top level kite.

i too would suggest the widowmaker over the ocius as it rewards the inputs from a beginner and advanced hand equally, where the wonderful ocius seems to reserve it's rewards more for those already adept.

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